PERRY GOURLEY

CRAFT beer firm BrewDog yesterday confirmed it is working on plans for new outlets in Barcelona and Berlin as it opened its 12th bar, in Helsinki.

The bar, located in one of the city’s old bank buildings, is the first to be opened in Finland by the Aberdeenshire-based brewery.

With a capacity for 90 people, the bar features 18 beers on tap from breweries across the world including Finnish brands such as Maku Brewing and Sori Brewery.

The Helsinki bar follows the opening this year of outlets in Cardiff, Clapham, Dundee, Ellon, Liverpool and Sheffield in the UK and Bologna, Florence, Gothenburg, Sao Paulo and Tokyo overseas,

A new Barcelona bar is due to open shortly with plans for a Berlin bar early next year.

In October, the Ellon-based company announced plans to expand its operations and significantly increase its brewing capacity over the next three years in a move which will create 300 jobs. The company, founded by James Watt and Martin Dickie, employs more than 200 staff.